43:1 And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among
the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself,
could not rest, and he also went forth.
43:2 Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that
they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of
prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God
by which they were called.
43:3 And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites
and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges.
43:4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites;
therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year the people of the
Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they
made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in
the land of Jershon.
43:5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands;
and they came into the land of Antionum, which is the land of the
Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.
43:6 And now, as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous
disposition than the Lamanites were, in and of themselves, therefore,
Zerahemnah appointed chief captains over the Lamanites, and they were
all Amalekites and Zoramites.
43:7 Now this he did that he might preserve their hatred towards the
Nephites, that he might bring them into subjection to the
accomplishment of his designs.
43:8 For behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger
against the Nephites; this he did that he might usurp great power over
them, and also that he might gain power over the Nephites by bringing
them into bondage.
43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and
their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might
preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might
preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their
liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires.
43:10 For they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the
Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God in spirit and in truth,
the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy.
43:11 Yea, and they also knew the extreme hatred of the Lamanites
towards their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, who
were called the people of Ammon—and they would not take up arms, yea,
they had entered into a covenant and they would not break it—therefore,
if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites they would be
destroyed.
43:12 And the Nephites would not suffer that they should be destroyed;
therefore they gave them lands for their inheritance.
43:13 And the people of Ammon did give unto the Nephites a large
portion of their substance to support their armies; and thus the
Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who
were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all
those who had dissented from the Nephites, who were Amalekites and
Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah.
43:14 Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly, as were the
Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged to contend with their
brethren, even unto bloodshed.
43:15 And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered
together in the land of Antionum, behold, the armies of the Nephites
were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.
43:16 Now, the leader of the Nephites, or the man who had been
appointed to be the chief captain over the Nephites—now the chief
captain took the command of all the armies of the Nephites—and his name
was Moroni;
43:17 And Moroni took all the command, and the government of their
wars. And he was only twenty and five years old when he was appointed
chief captain over the armies of the Nephites.
43:18 And it came to pass that he met the Lamanites in the borders of
Jershon, and his people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and
all manner of weapons of war.
43:19 And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of
Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and
with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also
they were dressed with thick clothing—
43:20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing;
they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their
arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it
were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked,
save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites;
43:21 But they were not armed with breastplates, nor shields—therefore,
they were exceedingly afraid of the armies of the Nephites because of
their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than
the Nephites.
43:22 Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not come against the
Nephites in the borders of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the
land of Antionum into the wilderness, and took their journey round
about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they
might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land; for
they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they
had gone.
43:23 But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the
wilderness Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp;
and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men
unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the
armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the
Lamanites.
43:24 And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma, and
Alma informed the messengers of Moroni, that the armies of the
Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might
come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an attack
upon the weaker part of the people. And those messengers went and
delivered the message unto Moroni.
43:25 Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the land of Jershon,
lest by any means a part of the Lamanites should come into that land
and take possession of the city, took the remaining part of his army
and marched over into the land of Manti.
43:26 And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land
should gather themselves together to battle against the Lamanites, to
defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties;
therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the
Lamanites.
43:27 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his army should be
secreted in the valley which was near the bank of the river Sidon,
which was on the west of the river Sidon in the wilderness.
43:28 And Moroni placed spies round about, that he might know when the
camp of the Lamanites should come.
43:29 And now, as Moroni knew the intention of the Lamanites, that it
was their intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and
bring them into bondage that they might establish a kingdom unto
themselves over all the land;
43:30 And he also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites
to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church, therefore
he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem;
therefore, he found by his spies which course the Lamanites were to
take.
43:31 Therefore, he divided his army and brought a part over into the
valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill
Riplah;
43:32 And the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of
the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land Manti.
43:33 And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was
prepared to meet them.
43:34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of
the hill, where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.
43:35 And as the Lamanites had passed the hill Riplah, and came into
the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon, the army which was
concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by a man whose name
was Lehi, and he led his army forth and encircled the Lamanites about
on the east in their rear.
43:36 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, when they saw the
Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned them about and began to
contend with the army of Lehi.
43:37 And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more
dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed
to the heavy blows of the Nephites with their swords and their
cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke.
43:38 While on the other hand, there was now and then a man fell among
the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, they being
shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts
of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their
breastplates, and their arm-shields, and their head-plates; and thus
the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.
43:39 And it came to pass that the Lamanites became frightened, because
of the great destruction among them, even until they began to flee
towards the river Sidon.
43:40 And they were pursued by Lehi and his men; and they were driven
by Lehi into the waters of Sidon, and they crossed the waters of Sidon.
And Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon that they
should not cross.
43:41 And it came to pass that Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in
the valley, on the other side of the river Sidon, and began to fall
upon them and to slay them.
43:42 And the Lamanites did flee again before them, towards the land of
Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moroni.
43:43 Now in this case the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never
had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceedingly great
strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning.
43:44 And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who
were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their
chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight
like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea,
for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did
pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their
arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.
43:45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for
they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting
for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children,
and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.
43:46 And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they
owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their
fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense,
neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the
hands of your enemies.
43:47 And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families
even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites
contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their
families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their
religion.
43:48 And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the
fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink
and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and
inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their
lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.
43:49 And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they
cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and
their freedom from bondage.
43:50 And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in
that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the
Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters
of Sidon.
43:51 Now, the Lamanites were more numerous, yea, by more than double
the number of the Nephites; nevertheless, they were driven insomuch
that they were gathered together in one body in the valley, upon the
bank by the river Sidon.
43:52 Therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about, yea, even on
both sides of the river, for behold, on the east were the men of Lehi.
43:53 Therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the
river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon,
that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with
terror.
43:54 Now Moroni, when he saw their terror, commanded his men that they
should stop shedding their blood.